2007 Nashville mayoral election
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| Elections in Tennessee |
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 Government |
The 2007 Nashville mayoral election took place on September 11, 2007, following a primary election on August 2, 2007. Incumbent Mayor Bill Purcell was term-limited and could not seek a third term. A crowded field emerged to succeed him, which included Law Department Director Karl Dean, former Congressman Bob Clement, Vice Mayor Howard Gentry Jr., and Metro Councilmen Buck Dozier and David Briley. In the primary election, Dean narrowly placed first, winning 24 percent of the vote. In second place, Clement won 23.5 percent and narrowly beat out Gentry, who won 23.1 percent.[1]
In the runoff, Dean narrowly defeated Clement, winning 52 percent of the vote to Clement's 48 percent.[2]
Primary election
Candidates
- Karl Dean, Director of the Metro Law Department[3]
- Bob Clement, former U.S. Representative from Tennessee's 5th congressional district, 2002 Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate[4]
- Howard Gentry Jr., Vice Mayor[5]
- Buck Dozier, Metro Councilman[6]
- David Briley, Metro Councilman[7]
- Ken Eaton, businessman[8]
- Cheryl Tisdale, school employee[9]
Declined
- Torry Johnson, 20th Judicial District Attorney General[10]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
David Briley |
Bob Clement |
Karl Dean |
Buck Dozier |
Kenneth Eaton |
Howard Gentry Jr. |
Cheryl Tisdale |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA[11] | July 19–22, 2007 | 564 (LV) | ± 4.2% | 12% | 23% | 21% | 16% | 1% | 21% | 1% | 5% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Karl Dean | 24,122 | 24.08% | |
| Nonpartisan | Bob Clement | 23,575 | 23.53% | |
| Nonpartisan | Howard Gentry Jr. | 23,180 | 23.14% | |
| Nonpartisan | Buck Dozier | 17,738 | 17.70% | |
| Nonpartisan | David Briley | 10,880 | 10.86% | |
| Nonpartisan | Ken Eaton | 351 | 0.35% | |
| Nonpartisan | Cheryl Lynn Tisdale | 288 | 0.29% | |
| Write-in | 57 | 0.06% | ||
| Total votes | 100,191 | 100.00% | ||
Runoff election
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Bob Clement |
Karl Dean |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA[13] | September 3–5, 2007 | 536 (LV) | ± 4.3% | 46% | 48% | 6% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Karl Dean | 51,946 | 52.25% | |
| Nonpartisan | Bob Clement | 47,347 | 47.62% | |
| Write-in | 130 | 0.13% | ||
| Total votes | 99,423 | 100.00% | ||
Notes
References
- ^ Cass, Michael (August 3, 2007). "It's Dean, Clement: They'll meet again in runoff, as 100,000 vote in tight race". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. p. 1A. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
- ^ Cass, Michael (September 12, 2007). "Dean wins: Fresh face, education stance attracted voters to Dean". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. p. 1A. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
- ^ Cass, Michael (December 20, 2006). "Metro law director joins mayoral race". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. p. 6B. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
- ^ O'Neal, Lee Ann (February 10, 2006). "Clement steps closer to '07 race for mayor". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. p. 2B. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
- ^ Cass, Michael (April 30, 2007). "Gentry promises to lead new 'culture change' in Nashville". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. p. 1A. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
- ^ Whitehouse, Ken (December 14, 2006). "Dozier formally announces for Mayor". NashvillePost.com. Nashville, Tennessee. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
- ^ Farmer, Blake (November 14, 2006). "Briley Makes Formal His Mayoral Bid". WPLN-FM. Nashville, Tennessee. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
- ^ Cass, Michael (May 7, 2007). "Long-shot status fails to deter mayoral campaigns of Eaton, Tisdale". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. p. 1B. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
- ^ Cass, Michael (May 7, 2007). "Tisdale is 'not a politician,' but wants to be mayor". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. p. 4B. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
- ^ Cass, Michael (September 12, 2006). "District Attorney Johnson won't run for mayor". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. p. 1B. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
- ^ "Results of SurveyUSA Election Poll #12401". SurveyUSA. July 23, 2007. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
- ^ "Unofficial Election Night Returns". Davidson County Election Commission. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
- ^ "Results of SurveyUSA Election Poll #12585". SurveyUSA. September 6, 2007. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
- ^ "Unofficial Election Night Returns". Davidson County Election Commission. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved July 21, 2025.